The Best of the Best: Oils (what’s actually a healthy fat??)

Now that the "fat-free era" is over (thankfully!) and we're not avoiding
fat like the plague, using oils to cook, bake, and dress salads is
something that most of you probably accept as healthful practice --
hooray for no more fat-free salad dressings! But when it comes to
oils, there are so many types. So which one is healthiest? Or best to
cook with?

We’ve picked an overall winner based on an oil that we feel is most versatile for cooking and making salad dressing AND also meets high health standards. But before that announcement, let’s talk oil basics and dispel a common myth.

Most vegetable oils are primarily made up of different types of unsaturated fats, and a very small amount of saturated fat. Unsaturated fats, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, are the ones that are good for your heart and overall health. The main difference between the different vegetable oils is the amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that make up the oil. But research shows that BOTH types of fats can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and prevent heart disease when paired with a diet low in saturated fat and trans fat.

Saturated fats are the kind that can raise LDL cholesterol when over-consumed. We mentioned that most plant oils don’t contain much saturated fat — but there are exceptions. Tropical oils, which include palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil, DO contain high amounts of saturated fat.

The real deal on coconut oil… We wanted to give you the scoop on coconut oil, since you may be hearing mixed reviews. Over the last 5+ years, coconut oil has been touted as a healthier oil, and in some cases it’s been promoted as having some pretty hefty powers (preventing fat accumulation, helping with weight loss, etc.) Coconut oil is about 92% saturated fat. However, the type of saturated fat in coconut oil is different in chemical make-up then most other sources of saturated fat (specifically, coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs, versus the long chain triglycerides that most other saturated fats contain). MCTs are shorter in length and are digested and processed more quickly than their longer counterparts. This makes coconut oil a better option for people with illnesses that give them a harder time digesting and absorbing fats. However, most people don’t have trouble digesting and absorbing fat. As of now, the majority of research still supports that saturated fat in coconut oil and other tropical oils can raise cholesterol and therefore it shouldn’t play a large role in the diet. In other words, even if your saturated fat is coming from sources like coconut oil, you still need to keep your intake within recommended limits. The American Heart Association and the 2010 dietary guidelines for Americans recommend consuming no more than 10% of your total calories from saturated fat, and in some cases, no more than 7%. So if you eat very little saturated fat elsewhere in your diet, coconut oil can certainly fit into a healthful diet. Used in small amounts, it can add flavor to dishes, but it should not be used as a primary cooking oil. The other important thing to consider with coconut oils is that if you do use it, purchase virgin (unprocessed) coconut oil.

In terms of the non-tropical oils, you really can’t go wrong. Olive and canola oils contain mostly monounsaturated fats while other oils like grapeseed, soy, sunflower, safflower, walnut, sesame, and peanut oils contain mainly polyunsaturated fats — making them all healthful choices. In term of culinary uses, grapeseed and canola oil are light in flavor and work well for salad dressings. Peanut oil, sesame oil, and walnut oil are all very flavorful oils that work really well when combined with other less intense oils to add flavor to a stir-fry or salad dressing.

And award for the BEST of the Best oils goes to…. Extra virgin olive oil (or EVOO).

EVOO has a healthy combination of mono- and poly unsaturated fats, is flavorful enough to be used in salad dressing yet mild enough to use in other dishes, and sturdy enough for cooking because it can withstand high heat. We think EVOO deserves this award because of its healthful fatty acid profile combined with its versatility in the kitchen (i.e. If we were only allowed on oil to keep in our kitchens, we’d choose EVOO.)